


Black Jackals teammates verify controversial relationship announcement

by pseudoanalytics



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Journalism, M/M, Sports, very very top tier journalism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:48:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23011999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pseudoanalytics/pseuds/pseudoanalytics
Summary: Despite initial public skepticism, sources close to Miya Atsumu (#13) and Sakusa Kiyoomi (#15) insist the relationship is authentic and not a publicity stunt.
Relationships: Miya Atsumu/Sakusa Kiyoomi
Comments: 23
Kudos: 1194
Collections: SakuAtsu Fics for Midterm Procrastination





	Black Jackals teammates verify controversial relationship announcement

**Author's Note:**

> By Quip Surname (@newttxt)

**SENDAI, Japan** — It's difficult to pinpoint the kind of relationship that MSBY Black Jackals' Miya Atsumu and Sakusa Kiyoomi have.

Miya (#13) is the team's starting setter, a position he has held for a little over a year now after his recruitment in 2017. Meanwhile, Sakusa (#15), the rookie outside hitter, is a relatively new addition to the team. 

"We were so happy when we saw him at tryouts," Head Coach Samson Foster said. "I watched him play in the [National Collegiate Volleyball Championship] and just had to send a recruiter his way after the game."

Both athletes were scouted by the Black Jackals, though Miya joined straight after high school, and their chemistry on the court was immediately apparent.

"Omi-kun [Sakusa] isn't much of a talker," said Bokuto Koutarou (#12), outside hitter and fellow teammate. "He's not great about calling for a toss, but when Tsum-Tsum [Miya] is setting, it's like he doesn't even have to ask."

Since the duo became starters, the team's average kills per set has risen to 13.72, with Sakusa providing nearly a third of that alone in the Black Jackals' recent victory against the Eastern Japan Paper Mills.

"It's almost unfair," Hinata Shouyou (#21), rookie opposite hitter, said with a laugh. "There's really nothing like the feeling of a setter just knowing when to send the ball your way."

But despite their teamwork on the court, Miya and Sakusa have had a publicly turbulent relationship. The pair first received national attention when, according to a referee, a sideline argument over water bottle usage "nearly came blows." Foster stepped in to break the two players apart, but social media rapidly spread footage of the scuffle.

"You've got a bunch of guys in a tense, high-stress situation. It's not uncommon to have disagreements like that," Foster said.

Spectators in the crowd mentioned overhearing a variety of insults being slung between Miya and Sakusa.

"I know they were both saying some pretty harsh things," Black Jackals fan Miyake Noriko said. "Some of them I would never repeat to my worst enemy."

Rivalries among teammates are rare but not unheard of. The reason this particular one became viral news relates to an Instagram post that Miya made three weeks later.

"Big news," Miya said in his Sept. 13 caption on a photo of a facemask. "Omi-Omi [Sakusa] is officially lucky to be dating me."

The internet quickly circulated the update, with American news outlets first making mention of the couple less than 24 hours afterward. Initial reactions from the public included surprise, excitement and even skepticism.

"If this is a publicity stunt, they could have at least picked a more realistic relationship to fake," said Twitter user @cajynn.

The Black Jackals' public relations team reports it was similarly shocked by the news.

"Miya and Sakusa's decision was not discussed with us beforehand," Director of Public Relations Oyama Jurou said in a press release on Sept. 15. "However, we support our players and hope that the fans of the Black Jackals will too."

But their new status hasn't seemed to change the couple's overall behavior or attitude toward one another.

"Miya pisses me off," Sakusa said in an interview with Fuji TV. He continued to elaborate on his apparent dislike for his teammate and supposed partner, though he conceded that Miya's service aces could "occasionally be decent."

Miya showed a similar amount of animosity, telling TV JAPAN that Sakusa is "the lousiest, most uptight guy [he's] ever had the [bad] luck of dealing with."

Even as they continue to bad-mouth one another, astute viewers have begun to point out changes to the duo's sideline behavior.

Twitter user @bratsumu posted a screencap of Miya shaking off Sakusa's team jacket before handing it over after a match, calling it "heart-warming in the weirdest possible way."

More speculation of the relationship being faked has also been circulating, but teammates assure the media that this is not the case.

"Atsumu [Miya] and Sakusa are both extremely strange, so they have a very different idea of getting along than the average person. But when you get down to it, there is genuine respect and affection hidden inside all that crass language," Team Captain Meian Shūgo (#4) said.

Bokuto shared Meian's sentiment, insisting that both athletes are "really sweet" when they're together, to the point of "making all the single guys super jealous."

Teammates shared other anecdotes, including a time Sakusa supposedly retrieved Miya's bag from the lost-and-found at a train station.

"I saw him touching other people's clothing," Opposite Hitter Oriver Barnes (#10) said, cupping one hand around his mouth. "That's a big deal for Sakusa. I guess you'd say, well, he's a bit of a germaphobe."

Oyama told The New York Times' Asia Pacific division that the team and the league are doing their best to protect Sakusa and Miya's privacy. "We recognize the importance and the intrigue of what they're doing," he told the Times reporter, "but at the end of the day, they're in the public eye to play volleyball, not prove what their relationship is or isn't."

Miya seems to have something different in mind.

"I've never been one for bragging, but I want to show Omi-Omi [Sakusa] off," he said in an Instagram post from Oct. 19. The caption is paired with a blurry photo of an angry-looking Sakusa attempting to use his arms and a potted plant to shield himself from the camera.

"I don't think the idea of them dating is [fake], but Tsumu [Miya] claiming not to be a braggart is a blatant lie," said Miya Osamu, Miya's twin brother, as he looked at the post. "I just hope Sakusa can pull off what I never could, and someone will finally domesticate that [guy.]"

For his part, Sakusa is much more elusive. His Instagram currently has no posts, and his Twitter account has only one: a retweet of his recruitment announcement.

"I don't think everything needs to be splashed all over the internet," he said. "Only two people need to know what I'm doing in my life, and that would be me and my coach."

> The Black Jackals are set to play the Schweiden Adlers this Sunday, Nov. 11.
> 
> This article has been updated to include interviews with Miya Atsumu and Sakusa Kiyoomi. The quotations in this article have been lightly edited for clarity and to remove profanity, but the meaning has been preserved.

**Author's Note:**

> u may notice there is no nut graf
> 
> that's because a nut graf would have bumped the rating to E
> 
> ...
> 
> it's past midnight


End file.
